This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Bryant chapter.
As the snow is melting and temperatures are rising, the time of year is coming for one of college students’ favorite activities: day drinking. Baseball games, summer concerts, or just relaxing after class, day drinking is an activity that many college students love, but few know how to do safely. Here are a few tips on how to have fun and stay safe when the weather warms up on campus:
- Eat Breakfast: There’s nothing worse than dying out early during day-long drinking festivities, so it’s important to slow the effects of alcohol throughout the day. The first step is to have a good breakfast before you start drinking, and it also prevents the problem of drinking more to fulfill hunger. A good breakfast is an important foundation to keep you energized throughout the day, and a few more carbs than normal will give you a solid foundation and leave you feeling fuller, which means drinking slower.
- Pace Yourself by Alternating Drinks with Water: Dehydration is one of the major dangers of day drinking because alcohol is diuretic, so periodically drinking water is a great idea. A good rule to follow is to drink a glass of water for every shot, but if you can’t keep up with that just aim to have at least a glass every hour. This is especially important for outdoor summertime activities where the weather is hot, because dehydration is one of the major reasons you’ll get sick from drinking.
- Prep With A Good Night of Sleep: A safe day of drinking starts with sleeping well the night before. When you’re tired and drinking, the effects of the alcohol are magnified, and lower energy levels can lead to a higher BAC than normal. You don’t want to put yourself behind before you even start drinking and fall asleep before the day’s fun is over.
- Choose Your Alcohol Wisely: A critical thing to think about is alcohol by volume (ABV), and when trying to last all day and possibly even into the night, lower is better. Beer is typically around 6% percent ABV, while hard alcohol such as a shot of whiskey is around 40%. Beer is a better choice so you don’t overdrink too quickly, so it’s possible to drink more and worry less. When choosing your alcohol, it’s also important not to mix what types you’re drinking, because that can quickly ruin the day’s events.
- Avoid Too Much Sun: Those warm sunny days are the ones that make us want to crack open a cold beer the most, right? On days like this, it’s especially important to stay cool and find some shade. Alcohol and too much heat can be a very bad combination because it increases the symptoms of drunkenness. Sweating more can cause you to become dehydrated a lot faster, which can quickly ruin your sunny day. Alcohol also raises your blood pressure, putting you at a higher risk for heat stroke, so staying as cool as possible is a must.
- Don’t Forget Breaks For Snacks and Dinner: If drinking during the day is only the start, and you plan on continuing into the night, it is especially important to create time for a filling dinner. When it’s time for a snack, pretzels are perfect to soak up alcohol and give you that little boost to keep drinking. Dinner will also give you the stamina to finish up the night that you won’t get from beer or other alcohol. It provides a necessary break the drinking and gives your liver a chance to catch up on all of the alcohol it has to process.